You've heard us talk about mobile readiness and how it is important not only because of the better user experience (UX) for those visitors who are using mobile devices, but also for better search results. If you haven't already made sure your site is mobile ready with a nice new responsive design, it's time to get it done. Nearly two years ago, now, Google started giving mobile ready sites preference over non-mobile sites when the searcher came from a mobile device. Now, they have announced that they are upping the game again such that mobile readiness (responsive design) will effect rankings for every searcher, not just searchers using mobile devices.

Mobile First

Google calls this "mobile-first" indexing and when they switch over to it in 2018, your site will be effected even more than it is now if it's not mobile friendly. Some other considerations for a great website that can be found on search engines easily are as follows:

Unique, Relevant Content - Great content that is relevant to the key words searched and unique to you makes you at least a subject matter expert on your topic, if not a thought leader in Google's eyes.

Calls to Action - make sure the actions you want visitors to take are clear and available whether it's a "Buy Now," a "Phone Us Today," a "Request More Information," a "Contact Us," a "Free Download" or something else.

SEO Ready - Make sure your website is SEO ready such that it is easy, not only for people, but also for Google to quickly find out what you do and how you do it so they can both identify you as the thought leader you are.

Speedy Delivery - People on the web have very little time, so don't make them wait for what they want. For example, optimize images so they don't slow down your website. Compression, optimization of scripts and other factors can also be implemented to speed you up.

You still have some time to spruce up your website with a nice new responsive design if it's not already done, but sometime next year, the other shoe is going to drop, so be warned and give us a call so we can help you out. We don't want you to fall off the front page of Google if you're there and we want to help you get on the first page of Google search results if you're not.